At the Deutsche Bank Park Stadium, Eintracht Frankfurt hosted Napoli in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. The Serie A leaders were obviously the better side from the get-go, and despite Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s wasted spot kick, they still managed to break the deadlock in through Victor Osimhen. In the second period, Kolo Muani’s dismissal left the Germans with a man down, and Partenopei captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo doubled the lead with a smooth finish. So here are our player ratings for Napoli who are now at the cusp of qualification to the quarter-final following a 2-0 win in Frankfurt.
Napoli (4-3-3)
Alex Meret – 6.5
A quiet evening for the Italian custodian, but still positioned himself in the right place to make an important late save.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 7.5
A fabulous showing from the Napoli captain who nullified Mario Gotze’s threat. He also delivered the second goal with a precise finish from his weaker foot.
Amir Rrahmani – 6.5
A comfortable display from the Kosovan who kept it clean and tidy at the back.
Kim Min-jae – 7
A dominant performance from the former Fenerbahce man who made vital interceptions while also making runs forward to support the attack.
Mathias Olivera – 6.5
It wasn’t the most vibrant display from the Uruguayan, but he did well in defense and always had Kvara’s back.
André-Frank Zambo Anguissa – 7.5
A fabulous display from the former Fulham man who absolutely bossed the middle of the park with his physical strength and ever-improving technique. Prompted Kolo Muani’s red card and almost scored a goal.
Stanislav Lobotka – 8.5
An astonishing display from Slovakian who’s taking Europe by storm. The German opposition had no answer for his movements and distributions. He was the one to retrieve the ball and immediately release Lozano with a through pass, ultimately leading to the opener.
Piotr Zielinski – 6
It wasn’t a terrible display by any means from the former Udinese man, but he happens to be the less influential player in Luciano Spalletti’s starting formation. Though he teed up Anguissa with a clever ball.
Hirving Lozano – 7.5
This was possibly the Mexican’s best display this season. Caused havoc on the right wing, creating two assists for Osimhen from sublime square balls, although one was disallowed for offside.
Victor Osimhen – 8
The Serie A top-scorer took his spectacular domestic form to the continental stage. Earned the spot kick in the first half, before breaking the deadlock by latching onto Lozano’s ball. Scored another goal moments later but was ruled out due to an offside call. His impact decreased in the second half, but the damage had already been done.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – 7
The Georgian winger was beaten twice by Kevin Trapp, including one from the spot, but made up for it by delivering what should go down as one of the best assists in the Champions League this season, setting up Di Lorenzo’s goal with a deft backheel.
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Substitutes
Eljif Elmas – 5.5
The versatile substitute acted as a winger this time, but was slightly wasteful on the ball.
Tanguy Ndombélé – 5.5
The Frenchman replaced Zambo Anguissa, but the Napoli tempo dropped following his introduction.
Matteo Politano – N/A
Giovanni Simeone – N/A
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